Tooooo funny Jack........Isnt She good with a gun as well

Really though you never know when the cat might get outside or a friend might bring a dog over. They need their claws. And I believe there are more nerve endings in most mammals finger tips than in any other appendage.....'cept for the appendage we cant talk about here

If ya dont believe me try sticking something under your finger nail till you pierce the skin, turns combat hardened soldiers into crying babes that will tell you anything!

Sweet info guys! My biggest consern is leaving him alone. I work long hours during the summer and I don't want him to feel neglected.

I agree with NOT getting your cat de-clawed. If something ever happens to you or you just cant keep the cat that car will not be able to defend itself against the outside world.

When I worked full-time and went to school full-time a few years back my cat was ever so happy to see me when i came home. Did the meet and greet at the door like he had not seen me for years. Anyway cats sleep 75% of the times so the cat will probably be sleep while you are gone.

We have left our cats alone over a weekend or even up to 10 days....2 litter boxes, plenty of food and an automatic water dispenser.

When we get home after more than two days, the cats are noticeably shy like they are pissed off.........but hey.....who'* the boss

The whole reason we have a cat right now instead of a dog is because we can go off for a day or two and not have to worry about hime being by himself. When the weekend comes we make sure he has enough litter, food , and water so that if we end up staying over anywhere or going on a long Jeep run we don't have to worry about him.

But we didn't start leaving him alone for more than 8-10 hours a day untill a few months ago, when they are still little kittens they need more interaction. But your cat would be fine with you gone to work, just make sure it has enough toys to keep occupied when not sleeping


and check out this stuff for litter, I've used it since we've had TJ. He changed over from litter to this no problem (but he was very young), and it'* flushable too. Doesn't get that cat pee smell.

http://www.felinepine.com/felinepine.html

Most petstores and walmarts have it

You can find generic brand for cheaper prices at Petsmart

I have to agree with the majority. Do not declaw your cat. My first cat Bailey i declawed and i've hated myself ever since. I thought they just sedate them and take out their claws, but what they actually do is remove the first joint of every finger on their paws so imagine them cutting off the tops of your fingers.
Spay or neutering your cat is a good idea, and feed him/her a quality brand of cat food that helps prevent uranary tract infections.
Deb

I'm a big cat lover too. Mine aren't declawed and won't be. Sadly my mom'* 19 year old Siamese died in 1999. He was the coolest cat and was peppy and happy all the way to the day he died.

My family has always had cats, since before they had me!
We have only ever de-clawed two of our many cats. The first was a Siamese named Simone, and after several years we still couldn't get her to stop tearing the hell out our furniture, to the point that she was tearing holes in one couch. The other, Max, we were forced to de-claw because he wouldn't let us clip his claws at all. He was absolutely psychotic about touching his feet in any way, and bit my Father badly several times.

We have had problems with spraying several times over the years, as well, but except for Simone, we always managed to solve the problem, either by disciplining the cat, or in one case by giving a male who was spraying a heavy dose of female hormones. The first dose of that did the trick for good. Simone, unfortunately, we couldn't dissuade from spraying, and, as she was a breeding cat, we couldn't use hormones. We eventually sold her to a friend who wanted to breed her and didn't have other cats to set her off.

Get used to the idea of some furniture scratching. Having several scratching posts and enforcing their use will limit that behavior, but you can't do much about the occasional scratch from a bad landing or a playful dig on the couch when they are hyper. A loaded plant-sprayer bottle is good for discipline. You can get them at any garden store.

Lastly, get used to the idea of having to hit your cat occasionally. I'm not suggesting that you hurt the animal, but a few whacks, hard enough to get their attention, will do the trick eventually. Generally you don't have to, unless they ignore a warning hiss, yell, or squirt from a squirt-gun.
If they're spraying or pissing, though, hold their nose in it and beat the stuffing out of them. That particualr behavior is hard to break once it starts.

One thing, if you plan on keeping the cat indoors at all times, and you have an active schedule, you should consider getting two cats. Cats, in spite of all their alleged independence, are very social animals, and will tear the hell out of your house when they get lonely.

My Brother and I share an apartment, and have two little black cats right now that are completely schizo. They are just about a year old now, about as big as they're going to get, and black as midnight on the new moon at the bottom of a coal mine. They're little terrors and fun as heck to have around. My Brother came home one day to find Gypsy, the female, dangling from the ceiling fan and rotating slowly, with Rover, the male, watching and waiting for her to fall off, so he could pounce on her again!

My cat is declawed, 10 years now, with no problems what so ever. He was supposed to be an indoor cat but he'* too slick for us, so now we let him out whenever he wants.

As for not being able to defend himself, I say popycock! Two years ago my neighbor came over asking if we could put our cat on a leash, it seems Tigger keeps running their dog out of their yard*. He is the bully of the neighborhood and regulalry hunts and comes home with mice, moles, birds of all kinds, and rabbits. The only fight he'* lost to my knowledge was to a big Tom Turkey. I've even seen him run off rotweillers. Basically nothing comes near the house except skunks.

Popa tim

* they put up an all enlosed fence last year...LOL. Cat can't get in and dog can't get out.